Racquet Weight Kit

ABSTRACT

A racquet weight kit comprised of a plurality of weighted clips and counterweights for removable attachment to a racquet frame and handle, respectively, to enable a user to experiment with different weights and/or different weight distributions on an existing racquet. Once the weight and weight distribution has been optimized to suit the user, the weighted clips and counterweight clips can be replaced with weighted tape to more permanently customize the racquet to the user&#39;s physical characteristics, mechanics and swing.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority from Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/484,912 filed on May 11, 2011 and Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/513,914 filed on Aug. 1, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a device for adding removable weight to aracquet, such as a tennis or racquetball racquet, for increasing aplayer's power and control of the racquet.

BACKGROUND

In most games involving a ball being struck by a racquet, such astennis, racquetball and the like, the player attempts to strike the ballwith the center of the racquet head as squarely as possible. Manyplayers spend countless hours, if not years, attempting to perfect thistechnique and their swing. The problem is further complicated by thefact that most racquets are mass produced with a fixed weight andbalance point that does not match the player's swing speed or physicalstrength to optimally control the racquet, and most players cannotafford a customized racquet to complement their existing swing. Inaddition, many racquets currently being produced are too lightweight foroptimal play, and are believed to be the cause of many tennis relatedinjuries, such as tennis elbow.

One known way in the art for a player to improve his or her swing is toadd various weights to the racquet at different locations, therebychanging the weight and the weight distribution or balance of the rackethead. For example, by adding weights to certain areas of the rackethead, a player can increase the force at which he or she hits the ball.By modifying the weight distribution of the racquet, the player may alsoimprove the mechanics of his or her swing.

One known way for adding weight and/or modifying the weight distributionon an existing racquet is to apply weighted tape, such as lead tape, tothe racquet. However, lead tape is not effective as a temporary weightdevice because it can be difficult to remove or re-position on theracquet after it has been applied, and oftentimes does not properlyadhere to the racquet on subsequent applications. Inasmuch as addingweight or modifying the weight distribution of a racquet to enhance aplayer's ability in the sport is oftentimes a trial and error process,and most players must experiment with different weights/weightdistributions, the inability to quickly and securely remove the weightedtape and re-apply the same elsewhere along the racquet is a significantlimitation.

Another known way to add weight or modify the weight distribution of anexisting racquet it to apply removable clip-on weights to the strings ofthe racquet. While these types of weights are capable of being removedand repositioned along the racquet strings, their location on thestrings of the racquet head can interfere with the racquet's interactionwith the ball. More specifically, a player may inadvertently strike theball with the weighted clip instead of the racquet strings, which couldresult in a bad shot and the loss of a point, a game, a set or even amatch. Furthermore, the addition of clip on weight to the racquetstrings can also interfere with the harmonics of the racquet strings andalter the “sweet spot” of the racquet head, which may also beundesirable.

Consequently, there exists in the art a long-felt need for a weightand/or counterweight device that can easily be removably applied to anexisting racquet for modifying the weight and/or weight distribution ofthe racquet. Additionally, there is a long-felt need for an improvedweight device that can be quickly and securely repositioned at differentlocations along an existing racquet so that a player can experiment withdifferent racquet weights and/or weight distributions in an effort toimprove his or her game. There is also a long felt need for a weightdevice that will not unduly interfere with the interaction between theracquet and the ball, or the harmonics of the racquet strings.

Further, there is a long felt need to a kit that can be made availableto consumers that contain all of the accoutrements necessary for aplayer to both temporarily and permanently alter the weight and/orweight distribution of an existing racquet. Finally, there is along-felt need for a device that accomplishes all of the forgoingobjectives and that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and easyto use.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summaryis not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof,is a kit comprised of a plurality of weighted clips for removableattachment to a racquet frame, and a plurality ofcounterweights/counterweight clips for removable attachment to a racquethandle. The kit may further comprise weighted tape and/or a racquet. Akit user may utilize the weighted clips and counterweights to experimentwith different weights and/or different weight distributions on his orher existing racquet to optimize his or her swing. Once optimized, theuser can continue to use the racquet with the weighted clips andcounterweights in place. Alternatively, the user may replace theweighted clips and/or counterweight clips with the weighted tape topermanently customize the racquet to his/her physical characteristics,mechanics and swing.

The racquet weight kit of the present invention provides a user with asolution to temporarily or permanently weighting a racquet and/ormodifying its weight distribution without unduly interfering with theinteraction between the ball and the racquet. It is believed that addingmass to the racquet by adding weight also promotes a deeper ball in thecourt with more pace or spin. Play is significantly and immediatelyimproved through the use of the present invention. Moreover, once theuser optimizes the racquet weight and its distribution, the user cancontinue to utilize the clips or the user can replace one or more of theclips with the weighted tape within the kit to more permanentlycustomize his or her racquet. Finally, the racquet weight kit and itsindividual components are relatively inexpensive to manufacture, andeasy to use.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein inconnection with the following description and the annexed drawings.These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various waysin which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intendedto include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages andnovel features will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a prior art racquet of the typethat can be used with the racquet weight kit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the various components of apreferred embodiment of the racquet weight kit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the weightclips of the present invention applied to a prior art racquet.

FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of thecounterweight clip of the present invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe counterweight of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the weight clips depicted inFIG. 2 and the counterweight clip depicted in FIG. 3A installed on aprior art racquet as a temporary or permanent weighting solution.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the weighted tape web replacingthe weight clips and counterweight clip depicted in FIG. 4 as a morepermanent weighting solution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, whereinlike reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout.In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovationcan be practiced without these specific details.

The racquet weight kit of the present invention provides a user with asolution to temporarily weighting a racquet and/or modifying its weightdistribution without unduly interfering with the interaction between theball and the racquet. Moreover, once the user optimizes the racquetweight and its distribution, the user can utilize the weighted tape webto more permanently customize his or her racquet. The kit is relativelyinexpensive to manufacture, and its components are easy to use.

Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspectiveview of a prior art racquet 10 of the type that can be used with theracquet weight kit 100 of the present invention. Racquet 10 can be anyracquet that is known in the art, such as a tennis racquet, racquetballracquet, etc. Racquet 10 typically comprises a handle 20 and a racquethead 30 that is either integrally formed at one end of said handle 20,or securely attached thereto. Racquet 10 can be comprised of graphite,wood, plastic, metal or other durable material that is well known in theart for manufacturing racquets, and is readily available in mostsporting good and department stores.

Racquet handle 20 typically further comprises a grip portion 22, whichcould be comprised of rubber, tape, or other well known material forimproving a user's (not shown) grip on the racquet 10. Racquet head 30typically comprises a head frame 32 and a plurality of lateral andlongitudinal strings 36 strung to span head frame 32 and createinterstices or openings 38 framed by said strings 36, as illustrated inFIG. 1. Further, strings 36 are typically under tension to improve theperformance of racquet 10, as is well known in the art.

Having now described the general structure of prior art racquet 10, theracquet weight kit 100 of the present invention will now be described.Referring again to the drawings, FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective viewof the various components of a preferred embodiment of the racquetweight kit 100 of the present invention, which comprises at least oneweighted clip 110, at least one counterweight or counterweight clip 130,and at least one web of weighted tape 150. Hereinafter, the termcounterweight and counterweight clip are used somewhat interchangeablyinasmuch as, regardless of their particular embodiment, they serve thesame function, that is, to removably attach weight to the handle 20 of aracquet 10.

As best illustrated in FIG. 3, each of weighted clips 110 is preferablygenerally C-shaped and comprised of plastic, though it is contemplatedthat other shapes and durable materials can be used without affectingthe overall scope of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment,clip 110 is comprised of a first end 112, a body portion 114, a secondend 116 and an opening 118 created between said first end 112 and saidsecond end 116, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Opening 118 is preferablyslightly smaller than the size of head frame 32, so that weight clip 110will snap onto head frame 32 and be held in place via tension. Morespecifically, clip 110 should be comprised of a material flexible enoughto permit the slightly larger head frame 32 to pass through opening 118,but rigid enough to remain removably attached to head frame 32 whileracquet 10 is in use. Consequently, to accommodate the size of most headframes 32, weighted clips 110 are typically between one and two inchesin length, with an opening 118 of between ¼ and ½ of an inch, and awidth of between 5/16 and ½ of an inch. Nonetheless, it is contemplatedthat other sized clips 110 could also be employed, and the forgoingdimensions should not be construed as a limitation.

Weighted clips 110 are meant to be temporarily and removably attachedalong racquet frame 32, as discussed more fully below and without theneed for separate tools, to enable a user (not shown) to experiment withdifferent weights and/or different weight distributions on his or herexisting racquet 10 to optimize his or her swing or the mechanicsthereof. For example, a user may initially removably attach one or moreof weighted clips 110 along a first position of head frame 32 and thenhit a number of tennis balls (not shown) or take a number of practiceswings to evaluate his or her performance with that particular amount ofweight in that particular location. The user may then modify the weightof racquet 10 by adding or removing one or more weighted clips 110,and/or repositioning the weighted clips 110 along the head frame 32 toadjust the weight distribution of racquet 10. Through trial and errorand incremental weight increases/decreases, a user will be able tooptimize the weight and weight distribution of racquet 10 to complimenthis or her physical characteristics and/or swing.

In an effort to assist the user to evaluate the effectiveness ofdifferent weights and weight distributions, weighted clips 110 may becolor coded by weight. For example, a weight clip 110 weighing 2 gramsmay be colored green, whereas a weight clip 110 weighing 5 grams may becolored blue and a weight clip 110 weighing 10 grams may be colored red.Alternatively, the particular weight of a particular weighted clip 110may be conveyed to user by some other marking or coding means withoutaffecting the overall concept of the present invention. Weight clips 110can be available in a variety of different weights ranging from one totwelve grams, though other weights are also contemplated to suit userpreference and the forgoing weight range is offered for example purposesonly. By making weight clips 110 available in a variety of differentweights, a user can experiment with incremental weightincreases/decreases in an effort to optimize his or her game.

As best illustrated in FIG. 3A, each of counterweight clips 130 is alsopreferably generally C-shaped and comprised of plastic, though it iscontemplated that other shapes and durable materials can be used withoutaffective the overall scope of the present invention (see e.g., FIG. 3Bfor an alternative embodiment of counterweight 130 in the form of aband). In the preferred embodiment, counterweight clip 130 is comprisedof a first end 132, a body portion 134, a second end 136 and an opening138 created between said first end 132 and said second end 136, asillustrated in FIG. 3A. Because opening 138 is preferably slightlysmaller than the size of handle 20, counterweight clip 130 will snaponto handle 20 and be held in place via tension. Therefore, toaccommodate the size of most handles 20, counterweight clips 130 aretypically between two and a half and four inches in length, with anopening 138 of between ⅛ and ¾ of an inch, and a width of between ⅛ and½ inch. Nonetheless, it is contemplated that other sized counterweightclips 130 could also be employed, and the forgoing dimensions should notbe construed as a limitation.

As mentioned supra, it is also contemplated that counterweights 130 canbe in the general shape of a weighted band (similar to a rubber band),as opposed to the shape of a clip, as shown in FIG. 3B. In thisembodiment, counterweights 130 may be manufactured from an elasticmaterial such as rubber or the like, and are typically applied to thehandle 20 of racquet 10. For example, a counterweight 130 in the form ofa band may be slid over the end of handle 20 and positioned above, belowor along grip portion 22 to suit user preference. In a preferredembodiment, the interior diameter of counterweight 130 should beslightly smaller than the thickness of handle 20 so that thecounterweight 130 stays in place on handle 20 when racquet 10 is in use.

Counterweights and counterweight clips 130 are meant to be temporarilyand removably attached to handle 20 without the need for separate tools,preferably adjacent to grip portion 22 between handle 20 and racquethead 30 as discussed more fully below, to enable a user (not shown) toexperiment with different counterweights and/or different counterweightdistributions on his or her existing racquet 10 to optimize his or herswing or the mechanics thereof. For example, a user may initiallyremovably attach one or more of counterweights or counterweight clips130 along handle 20, possibly in conjunction with a particulararrangement of weighted clips 110 along head frame 32, and then hit anumber of tennis balls (not shown) or take a number of practice swingsto evaluate his or her performance with that particular amount of weightand counterweight in that particular configuration. The user may thenmodify the counterweight of racquet 10 by adding or removing one or morecounterweights or counterweight clips 130 and/or weighted clips 110.Through trial and error, a user will be able to optimize the weight andweight distribution of racquet 10 to compliment his or her physicalcharacteristics and/or swing.

In an effort to assist the user to evaluate the effectiveness ofdifferent weights, counterweights, and weight distributions,counterweights and counterweight clips 130 may be color coded by weightin a manner similar to that discussed above for weighted clips 110. Forexample, similar to the weighted clips 110, a counterweight clip 130weighing 2 grams may be colored green, whereas a counterweight weighing5 grams may be colored blue and a counterweight clip weighing 10 gramsmay be colored red. Alternatively, the particular weight of acounterweight clip 130 may be conveyed to a user by some other markingor coding means without affecting the overall concept of the presentinvention.

Counterweights/clips 130 can be available in a variety of differentweights ranging from one to twelve grams, though other weight amountsare also contemplated to suit user preference and the forgoing weightrange is offered for example purposes only. By makingcounterweights/clips 130 available in a variety of different weights, auser can experiment with incremental counterweight increases/decreasesin an effort to optimize his or her game.

Weighted tape web 150 can be any weighted tape web currently known inthe art for applying to a racquet 10, such as a tennis racquet. Forexample, weighted tape web 150 could be comprised of lead tape, which isknown in the art for adding weight to tennis racquets and the like.Weighted tape web 150 may also have markings thereon for advising a user(not shown) approximately how much length of the tape corresponds to aparticular weight. For example, each strip of lead tape that is ¼ of aninch wide and four inches in length corresponds to approximately onegram of weight. As will be described more fully below, weighted tape web150 is useful for more permanently modifying the weight and/or weightdistribution of a racquet 10 once a user (not shown) has optimized theweight and weight distribution of his or her particular racquet throughthe use of weighted clips 110 and counterweights 130, as describedabove.

Having now described the preferred embodiment of device 100, its use andusefulness will now be described. A user (not shown) desiring to use theweight kit 100 of the present invention to customize his or her racquetmay experiment with various weights and weight distributions during thecourse of his or her practice with racquet 10. More specifically, a usermay removably secure different weight clips 110 along differing portionsof head frame 32, while also placing different counterweights clips 130along differing portions of handle 20. To attach a weight clip 110 tohead frame 32, the user simply inserts the head frame 32 in opening 118.Because opening 118 is preferably slightly smaller than the size of headframe 32, weight clip 110 will snap onto head frame 32 and be held inplace via tension. To remove weight clip 110 from head frame 32, a user(not shown) simply slightly spreads apart first end 112 and second end116 with his or her fingers, and removes weighted clip 110 from headframe 32. Counterweight clips 130 are removably attached to and detachedfrom handle 20 in a similar fashion, whereas a counterweight 130 that isin the form of a band, as depicted in FIG. 3B, may simply be slippedonto handle 20.

Once a user has optimized the weight and weight distribution of his orher racquet 10 with weighted clips 110 and counterweights/counterweightclips 130, the clips 110 and counterweight 130 can be either left inplace as a permanent solution, or one or more of clips 110 andcounterweight 130 may be replaced with weighted tape 150. As previouslymentioned, weighted tape 150 may also have markings thereon for advisinga user (not shown) approximately how much length of tape corresponds toa particular weight. For example, a user desiring to replace a weightedclip 110 weighing 2 grams at a particular location along head frame 32,may use eight inches of weighted tape 150 (assuming four inches ofweighted tape equals 1 gram) and apply the same to the head frame 32 inthe same location of the previously installed weighted clip 110. Theuser may replace any temporarily installed counterweight clips 130 alonghandle 20 in a similar fashion.

One of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate the added benefitspresented by the racquet weight kit of the present invention. Forexample, a player may also utilize the kit 100 to add/removeweight/counterweights from his or her racquet in an effort to combat anopponent's particular style of play. Additionally, a player that isfeeling fatigued or that is not in exemplary physical form may elect toremove weight clips 110 and/or counterweights 130 to lessen the weightof his or her racquet 10.

Additionally, other variations are within the spirit of the presentinvention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustratedembodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described abovein detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intentionto limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but onthe contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternativeconstructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope ofthe invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitationon the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language inthe specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimedelement as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein. Variationsof those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventorexpects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, andthe inventor intends for the invention to be practiced otherwise than asspecifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes allmodifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in theclaims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, anycombination of the above-described elements in all possible variationsthereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicatedherein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

1. A racquet weight kit for use with a racquet comprising a plurality ofweighted clips for removable attachment to a frame of said racquet. 2.The racquet weight kit of claim 1 further comprising a web of weightedtape.
 3. The racquet weight kit of claim 1 further comprising a racquetand at least one counterweight for removable attachment to a handle ofsaid racquet.
 4. The racquet weight kit of claim 3 wherein said racquetis a tennis racquet.
 5. The racquet weight kit of claim 1 wherein atleast one of said plurality of weighted clips is color coded to indicateits weight.
 6. The racquet weight kit of claim 1 wherein at least one ofsaid plurality of weighted clips is generally C-shaped.
 7. The racquetweight kit of claim 3 wherein the at least one counterweight is colorcoded to indicate its weight, and in the general form of either a clipor a band.
 8. A racquet weight kit for use with a racquet comprising: aplurality of weighted clips for removable attachment to a frame of saidracquet; a plurality of counterweights for removable attachment to ahandle of said racquet; and a web of lead tape.
 9. The racquet weightkit of claim 8 further comprising a racquet.
 10. The racquet weight kitof claim 9 wherein said racquet is a tennis racquet.
 11. The racquetweight kit of claim 8 wherein at least one of said plurality of weightedclips and at least one of said plurality of counterweights are colorcoded to indicate their respective weight.
 12. The racquet weight kit ofclaim 8 wherein at least one of said plurality of weighted clips isgenerally C-shaped.
 13. The racquet weight kit of claim 8 wherein atleast one of said plurality of weighted clips is comprised of plastic.14. The racquet weight kit of claim 8 wherein at least one of saidplurality of counterweights is comprised of plastic.
 15. A racquetweight system for use with a racquet comprising: at least one weightedclip for removable attachment to a frame of said racquet; and at leastone counterweight for removable attachment to a handle of said racquet.16. The racquet weight of claim 15 wherein each of said at least oneweighted clip and said at least one counterweight is coded to indicateits weight.
 17. The racquet weight of claim 15 wherein said at least oneweighted clip is generally C-shaped.
 18. The racquet weight of claim 15wherein said at least one weighted clip weighs between one and twelvegrams.
 19. The racquet weight of claim 15 wherein said weighted clip iscomprised of plastic.
 20. The racquet weight of claim 15 wherein said atleast one counterweight is coded to indicate its weight, and is in thegeneral form of either a clip or a band.